Friday Mar 13, 2026
Story Behind the Choking Sign: Fish Cheeks with Lia Kantrowitz and Jessica Saesue
A choking safety sign as art? In this episode, illustrator Lia Kantrowitz and creative director Jessica Saesue discuss their work on the custom choking sign for Fish Cheeks, a contemporary, seafood-focused Thai restaurant in New York. Their creative relationship began at VICE nearly a decade ago and now extends to teaming up on branding projects for not only Fish Cheeks, but also 55 Hospitality’s other culinary ventures! Lia and Jessica share how they interpreted the flexible regulatory language describing choking safety signage to decide on the layout and artistic style of the Fish Cheeks custom sign. They also discuss the connections and boundaries between designer, illustrator, and creative director roles within hospitality, educational institutions, and the real world. This conversation confirms that there is so much more to these signs than meets the eye; they actually hold the stories of the New Yorkers who create them.
Lia Kantrowitz: liakantro.com
Jessica Saesue: jessicasaesue.com
For more information: rheakapur.info and culturalfingerprints.com
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